Chargers vs. Rams 2017 live stream: Start time, TV channel, and how to watch online

The Battle for L.A. continues Saturday night.

Aug 26, 2017, 2:00 PM UTC

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NFL: Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers Practice

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Just two years ago, Los Angeles didn’t have any NFL team to call its own. Now it has two. The Chargers and Rams will battle it out Saturday for bragging rights of their new city.

The fight for LA is the only national game Saturday night. It starts at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and subscribers to CBS All Access can also live stream it.

The Chargers don’t have a battle for the starting quarterback job, which lies safely with Philip Rivers, but there is competition for the No. 2 spot. Originally billed as Kellen Clemens’ role to lose, Cardale Jones hasn’t quite done enough to make the jump. Jones has only been with the team for a few weeks, but he could still snag the backup role sometime during the year.

Defense isn’t too much of a concern for the former San Diego team either. With Joey Bosa on one side and Melvin Ingram on the other, the Chargers have a pass-rushing duo that could ultimately be one of the best in 2017. The defense will need them even more with the news that veteran LB Denzel Perryman is expected to miss 8-10 weeks after ankle surgery. Perryman’s loss is going to hurt, especially against rushing attacks, but it could also provide an opportunity for others, like Jatavis Brown, Korey Toomer and Joshua Perry, to step up in his absence.

For the Rams, all eyes are on second-year quarterback Jared Goff. The No. 1 overall draft pick from 2016 has spent the offseason moving cities, acclimating to a new head coach and welcoming new offensive targets. Despite all these changes, he’s actually looking pretty good so far this preseason — at least, better than last year.

Granted, that’s not very hard given the Rams had the worst offense in the league last season. But this year, Goff has a bevy of new skill position players and a lot more to be excited about. One rookie wideout making a name for himself is Cooper Kupp.

Kupp is the highest rated receiver who’s seen 24 targets this preseason, according to ProFootball Focus. Unfortunately, Kupp will sit out Saturday night due to a groin injury.

That should give second-year wideout Pharoh Cooper more of a chance to show what he can do. A fourth-round draft pick from 2016, Cooper didn’t get many opportunities to stand out last season. Over the next two preseason games, he can make a case for head coach Sean McVay to find better ways to utilize him come time for the regular season.

This won’t be the first time these two teams take the field together. In early August, they held a joint practice that resulted in a bench-clearing brawl, a WWE takedown move by Keenan Allen, and the No. 2 ranking on SB Nation’s list of top training camps fights. If the practice is any indication, this Week 3 preseason matchup should be intense.